Rail-tie structure.



M. E. SMITH. RAI L TIE STRUCTURE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-ll, I915- Patented Nov.- 28, 1916.

MILTON E. SMITH, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

BAIL-TIE STRUCTURE.

naoaees.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 19 16.

Application filed August 11, 1915. Serial No. 44,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Tie Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rail tie structures of that character whichis especially designed for the type shown in my pending application filed September 29,1914, Serial Number 864,062.

The present invention has to do more particularly with improvements in the sleepers and with novel means incorporated in the sleeper structure for securely fastening the rails thereto in such a. manner as to clear the rails from direct engagement with the concrete or like cementitious material of which the sleeper is formed. 7

A further object of the invention is to protect the gage bars against hammering action of the Wheels of the train in the event of derailment, and to this end, I provide a novel bridge or support for that portion of the gage bar which spans the space between the alined sleepers, a special feature of novelty being that the gage bar support is loosely mounted upon the alined sleepers but is engaged in such supporting relation with the gage bar that the latter will function to hold the support in position upon the sleepers.

A further feature of the invention consists in an improved gage bar fastener which is preferably incorporated in the structure ofthe sleeper in such coacting relation with rod reinforcements that the holders or keepers will be securely anchored against dis placement.

Further objects and features of the in-- vention will be more fully described in con-.

nection with the accompanying drawing and will be more particularly pointed out and ascertained in and by the appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1, is a'plan view of one of my improved sleepers showing the manner in which one end of a gage bar is applied thereto and connected with a rail. Fig. 2, is a view in side elevation of the sleeper with thevgage bar support shown in section. Fig. 3, is a plan view of one of the gage bars. Fig. at, is an edge view thereof. Fig. 5, is an end view of one of the sleepers.

Fig. 6, is a perspective view of one of-the sleepers on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation, on a reduced scale, showing alined sleepers equipped with my improved gage bar support. Fig. 8, is a sectional view on line 88 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9, is a sectional view of a modified form of my invention. Fig. 10, is a perspective view of agage securing bar employed in this form of my invention.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

. First referring to Figs. 1 to 8, 1 designates alined sleepers both of which are identical in construction and only one of which need be described in detail. Each sleeper is provided with downwardly sloping top portions 2 extending downwardly from the top of the sleeper toward the ends thereof in such a manner as to reduce the weight of the sleeper at end portions opposite the rail supporting central part of the sleeper. The top of the sleeper is transversely recessed at marginal portions indicated at 3 in such a manner as to receive the lower flanges 4 of the rail 5, the latter extending transversely of the sleeper as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sleeper l is also longitudinally recessed, as indicated at 6, such longitudinal recess (3X.- tending between the marginal recesses 3 and being of a depth substantially equal to the latter. Centrally of the longitudinal recess 6, the same is deepened to form a receiving cavity 7 in which is disposed a cushioning material or block 8. The ends of cushioning block 8 abut against the shoulders 9, resulting from the cavity formed in the recess 6 so as to hold the cushioning block securely against endwise displacement. The cushioning block 8 is held against lateral displacement by the shoulders 10, formed as a result of the recess 6. Therefore no fastening means is necessary to maintain the block in position.

A gage bar is indicated at 11 and the ends of said bar are shaped to form rail chairs 12. I preferably ridge the rail chairs 12, as indicated at 13, so that the margins of the flanges 4: will seat between said ridges. A

rail holding lug 1 1, preferably formed integral with each chair l2, overhangs one ridge 13, and adjacent the other ridge 13, I provide a spike opening or hole 15. In the present construction, both of the rail holders face in the same direction, namely, to the left of Fig. 3. Openings 16 are provided in the rail chairs for use in the modified construction which will presently be described. The rail chairs extend longitudinally in the recesses 6, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, and the thickness of the rail chair will be suflicient to cause the latter to extend above flush relation with the recesses 3 so that the bottom of the rail will be clear from actual engagement with the recesses 3, it being a feature of the invention to support the rail wholly upon the rail chairs. The rail chair extends slightly above the recesses 3, and the cushioning block 8 is flush with the bottom of the recess 6. This enables the device to be assembled by sliding the rail chairs into position, in the preferred embodiment of the invention and avoids the formation of offsets which would require a rail chair other than that of a flat formation. Rail chair holders are provided which are preferably U shaped in construction, the

bights thereof being indicated at 17 and the limbs at 18. The limbs 18 hax e holding terminals 19 which are bent to overhang the recesses 6 and which are disposed adjacent the ends of the cushioning block 8. The rail chair 12 may be slid into position under the terminals 19 until the spike opening 15 registers with a spike opening 20 in the cushioning block 8. A spike cavity 21 is formed in the sleeper to register with the opening 20. Now when the rail chair is in position and a spike 22 has been inserted in the manner shown in Fig. 2, the rail 5 will be locked in position between the holder 14 and the spike 22 and the latter will function, by reason of its engagement with the cushioning block 8 and the sleeper 1, to not only act in opposing relation with the holder 14 to hold the rail, but said spike will also co-act with the cushioning block and the sleeper to hold the rail chair in predetermined locked gage relation with respect to the sleeper. Thus ifthe gage of the rails has been previously determined and if the gage bars and sleepers have beenmade accordingly, the assembling of the parts will insure gage adjustment of the rails. The U-sha-ped chair holders will be subjected to considerable stress of such a character as might tend to loosen the same in the sleeper and I provide a novel means of not only reinforcing the sleeper but also anchoring the U-shaped holders. As illustrated, reinforc ing-bars 23 are disposed longitudinally in the sleeper 1' and extend through the U- shaped holders and" in abutting relation therewith. Now it will be seen by reference to Fig. 6 that the reinforcing bars 23are of such length that theywill act most effectively to'anehor the U-shaped' holders in position. In case of'derailment, the wheels of: the train: would cause serious injury- 130 I support 21 having ends 25 which are shaped to fit the sloping tops 2 of the sleepers and extend to the point of extreme convergence, indicated at X, between the bar 11 and each sleeper. The top of the support is slotted, as indicated at 26, so that the bar 11 will seat in the slot and serve by its engagement with the walls thereof to hold the support 21 in 9 position without the necessity of providing special fastening means. The bar 11 functions to hold the support 24 against any lateral displacement while the engagement of the ends of the support with the sloping tops of the sleepers serves to prevent endwise displacement of the support 21. Between the sleepers, I provide the support 24 with a. substantially V-shaped cross section, as shown at 26, in Fig. 8, and to further strengthen the support I preferably arch the V-shaped central portion thereof, as indicated at 27. This formation serves to reduce the weight and also greatly strengthen the support as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the form shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the gage bars are secured by holders which are in the form of U-shaped bolts. The bights of the bolts are indicated at 28 as passing beneath the bottom of the sleeper and the limbs of the bolt, as indicated at 29, extend upwardly through the sleeper and are provided with threaded terminal ends 30. In this form of the invention the sleeper, as indicated at 31, is provided with a recess 32 which is similar to recess 6 and into which the rail chair 12 will extend, the chair being omitted in Fig. 9. A chair holding bar 33 is secured in position on top of the sleeper 31, by nuts 3 1, and each chair holding bar is provided with a lug 35 for engagement in one of the retaining openings 16. It will be understood that in this modified form I provide two holding devices for each sleeper and therefore there will be two chair hold.- ing bars 33 each having a retaining lug 35, one for each of the openings 16. Thus in this form of the invention the rail chairs at each. end of each gage bar will be positively T anchored to the sleeper and reliance need not necessarily be placed upon the spike 22 to perform this function although I contemplate using this modified form in connection with the preferred form, in practice.

It is believed that the advantages and utility of this invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description and while I have herein shown and described the specific forms of my'invention, 1, do not Wish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim:

1. In a rail tie structure, alined sleepes each provided With marginal rail receiving portions recessed from the tops thereof and extending transversely of the sleepers for receiving the rails, a gage bar connecting said rails and having rail chairs formed at its ends, said sleepers being longitudinally recessed between their lateral margins to receive said chairs and saidlongitudinal recesses having centrally disposed cavities, cushioning elements seated in said cavities and lying substantially flush with said longitudinal recesses to support the rail chairs at a. suiiicient elevation to clear the rails from engagement with the bottoms of said transverse recesses, ill-shaped holders embedded in said sleepers and having terminal ends for engagement With said chairs, and means for locking said chairs to said sleepers, substantially as described.

2. In a rail tie structure, alined sleepers each provided With marginal rail receiving portions recessed from the tops thereof and extending transversely of the sleepers for receiving the rails, a gage bar connecting said rails and having rail chairs formed at its ends, said sleepers being longitudinally recessed between their lateral margins to re ceive said chairs and said longitudinal recesses having centrally disposed cavities, cushioning elements seated in said cavities and lying substantially flush with said longitudinal recesses to support the rail chairs at a. suiiicient elevation to clear the rails from engagement With the bottoms of said transverse recesses, and rail anchorage means extending into said sleepers and co- Copies of this patent may be obtained for acting With said gage bar to hold the parts in locked relation, substantially as described.

3. In a rail tie structure, a composite sleeper, threaded terminals projecting therefrom, a rail chair mounted on said sleeper and provided with a retaining opening, and a bar fixed to said threaded ends and having a retaining lug projecting into said opening to lock said rail chair in position, substantially as described.

t. In a rail tie structure, a. composite sleeper, a U-shaped bolt embedded in said sleeper and having threaded ends projecting therefrom, a rail chair mounted on said sleeper and provided with a retaining opening, a retaining bar mounted on and secured to the threaded end of said bolt and provided with a retaining lug projecting into said retaining opening, substantially as described.

5. In a rail tiestructure, alined sleepers provided with sloping ends, a gage bar for the rails mounted on said sleepers and spanning the space therebetween, and a composite bridge loosely mounted on adjacent sloping ends of said alined sleepers and having a groove for receiving said bar thereby causing the latter to hold said supporting bridge against lateral displacement, substantially as described.

6. In a rail tie structure, alined sleepers, a gage bar connecting said sleepers and spanning the space therebetween, and a gage bar support mounted on said sleepers to span the space therebetween, said gage bar support and said bar having co-acting portions for holding said support in position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

MILTON E. SMITH.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

